I give Lucas sad smile. "You’re right. He would be."
I roll off him and place my back to his side. "Will you hold me?"
He rolls towards me and wraps his arm around my waist. "Anytime, baby."
*****
I wake up to the sound of someone beating on the door. Lucas is already out bed, heading that way. He is out of the room before I can even get out of the bed. When
I step into the hallway, I see Mom coming out of the spare bedroom. "What’s going on?"
I shake my head. "I don’t know."
We make our way into the living room to find Lucas and Paul talking. As soon as they see me, Lucas walks over and wraps his arms around my waist. "They got him, Lindy."
"How? I thought they couldn’t arrest him?"
"The bastard screwed up," Paul says with a smile. "He picked the wrong woman’s house to break into this time."
"What are you talking about?" Mom asks.
Paul’s smile grows wider. "He trashed Hilary Lowes’ house last night. She walked in on him."
"Didn’t you go to Sadie Hawkins dance with Hillary?" I ask Lucas.
He nods. "Yeah. In eighth grade, I think."
"She’s changed a lot since then. Three years in Afghanistan has made her a little bad ass," Paul says with a chuckle.
"Will you be able to get him for Sammy’s murder?" Mom asks.
Paul’s face turns serious. "Yes, he confessed to everything as soon he got into the interrogation room."
"Thank God!" Mom whispers, as tears stream down her face.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
"What did you get your mom for her birthday?" Lucas asks.
"Me and dad got her some bubble bath that smells like vanilla ice-cream," Lindy answers, with a smile.
LUCAS
It’s been nearly two months since Mr. Reynolds was caught. His trial started yesterday. The DA played his confession, and we were all shocked as shit to hear why he killed Sammy.
"I just cannot believe that my father was killed because of finger nail polish," Lindy says, for the third time.
"It wasn’t over that, and you know it. George Reynolds is a just crazy bastard," I try to explain. "When Sammy caught Kelsey stealing the finger nail polish, it pushed him over the edge."
"I remember when it happened. Mr. Reynolds was so mad that I was scared he was going to whip Kelsey right there in the store."
"I didn’t know you were there."
She nods her head. "Yeah, it was right after school. Dad picked me up that day, so we could pick out a present for Mom’s birthday. We were looking at all the fancy bath stuff, when Dad saw Kelsey put the finger nail polish in her pocket."
"What did your dad do?" Going by what I can remember of Sammy, I would bet it wasn’t much.
"Nothing really. He just made her put it back and promise that she wouldn’t do anything like that again." She takes a deep breath. "But, Mr. Reynolds went off when he found out. He came up just as she was saying that she would never do it again. When Dad explained what Kelsey had done, her dad started screaming at her. He told Dad that he better not tell anybody what happened, then he dragged Kelsey away."
"How long was it before your dad got shot?" I ask.
She shrugs her shoulders. "I’m not sure. I’m thinking it happened about a week before Dad died. Maybe not quite that long."
Lindy walks over to me and wraps her arms around my middle. "I am just glad that the message he wrote wasn’t about me."
I give her a tight squeeze. "You know that it wasn’t about Kelsey either. He is just a crazy motherfucker, and he wanted to blame it on someone else."
She nods. "I know. I just hope Kelsey understands that. I might not like her, but no one should blame anybody for something like that."
"I still don’t get why he broke into the houses and hurt all those women. He went on and on about your Dad, but when they asked him about the women, he just got quiet."
She gives me a tight squeeze. "Like you told me, he is crazy. He may not even know why he did it. "
I nod my head and give her a quick kiss. "Let’s forget about this stuff and go do something fun. I’ll take you and your mom to get chocolate chip waffles with whip cream."
"They’re Mom’s favorite," Lindy says.
I pull away from Lindy and give her ass a smack. "I know, so go call her and then get your clothes on."
"Yes, sir," she says, with a grin.
LINDY
I will be so glad when the trial is over. I’m not getting called as a witness, so I don’t even have to be here, but I come every day anyway. Mom does too. Lucas has come a few times, but he can’t miss work every day. Most days it’s just Mom and me. Kelsey got off house arrest last week, so she is here too. She doesn’t pay any attention to what’s going on. Instead, she watches me.
Today is the final day before it goes to the jury. The lawyers have finished up with their closing arguments, and Mom and I are walking out of the courtroom. I barely make it two feet from the door when Kelsey steps in my path.
"When’s the baby due?" she asks, pure hatred dripping from her voice.
"Next month."
"And you’re still not married," she says, with a sneer.
I ignore her and try to walk by, but she grabs my arm. "I knew Luke wouldn’t marry you."
I jerk away and paste on a sarcastic smile. "We are getting married this weekend."
I don’t even give her time to respond before I walk away. I see Mom talking to the DA and make my way towards them. As soon as she is done talking, we leave the courthouse.
As I get into the car, Mom starts to talk about the trial. I try to focus on what she is saying, but I can’t get the look on Kelsey’s face out of my head. I swear she looked like she was going to explode when I said that Lucas and I are getting married this weekend.
"You are not even listening, are you?"
I look to M
om and shake my head. "I’m sorry. I was thinking about something. What did you say?"
"I asked, how long do you think the jury will take?"
I shrug my shoulders. "I don’t know, but I doubt it will be very long. It seemed pretty cut and dried to me. With the confession and DNA, they have to find him guilty."
Mom nods her head. "Yeah, it’s a solid case. The DA said that he wouldn’t be surprised if the verdict is back by the end of the day."
"That’s good."
Mom reaches over and grabs my hand. "Yes, it is. Your dad will finally have the justice he deserves."
LUCAS
"I cannot believe you are getting married in two days," Daniel says, as he takes a bite of his burger.
"I can’t believe it’s taken this damn long. I wanted to marry her the day she got home from college." I grab another fry.
He reaches over for the ketchup, then looks towards me. "Well, Tara better not get any bright ideas. I’m not ready for that shit yet."
"Never know, man. Could be you next," I say with a smile.
He flips me the bird, then looks back to his plate. We concentrate on our food for a few minutes, before Daniel mumbles, "Shit!"
I look over at him. "What?"
He doesn’t say anything, just motions towards the door of the restaurant. I turn my head and see Kelsey coming my way. "Fuck. We should have had lunch at the damn shop."
She stops a few feet from our table and places her hands on her hips. "Are you really going to marry Piglet this weekend?"
"Her name is Lindy." My teeth are clenched, the rage building. I manage to spit out, "Yes, we are getting married."
"How could you marry someone like her?" she yells.
"Fuck it! I was trying to be civil, because your dad is a whacked out motherfucker. But I am done with this shit. You know you’re not supposed to talk to me. If you do not walk away right now, I will call the police," I shout back.
"You are going to regret ever being with her," she says it with a sneer, then stalks away.
I shake my head in frustration and turn to Daniel. "What the fuck could she want with me? I am a complete dick to her all the time. Doesn’t she have any pride at all?"
"I don’t know, man, but I think it’s all a little weird."
I chuckle. "A little?"
"All right. It’s really fucking weird. Her dad is on trial. More than likely he is going to spend the rest of his life in jail. The whole damn town is looking at her like she is a piece of shit. And she is still worried about what is going on between you and Melinda. It doesn’t make any sense."
"Nothing that bitch does makes sense," I say, just as my phone starts to ring.
I pull it out of my pocket and see Lindy’s name flash across the screen. "Hey, Lindy Lou."
"Can you meet me at the courthouse?" she asks.
"Why? I thought you said they were done for the day."
I can hear her getting into the car, as she starts to speak again. "They were, but the DA called Mom and said for us to get back down there. The jury was out for less than an hour. They are going to read the verdict at two. I just want you to be there when they read it."
"I’ll be right there," I say as I get up from the booth.
"Thank you, Lucas," she whispers into the phone.
"Anything for you, baby."
*****
As soon as I pull my bike into the courthouse parking lot, I see everyone standing by Dad’s car. I cut the engine and go straight to Lindy and pull her into my arms. "Hey, baby."
She smiles up at me. "I am so glad you made it." I don’t say anything. I just give her a soft kiss.
Everyone makes their way inside. We take our seats just as the judge walks in. It takes a few minutes to get everyone seated. The judge asks the jury foreman to give the verdict to the clerk. Once she has it, she turns towards the judge and reads it out loud. "Guilty on all counts."
I hear Lindy whimper and look over to her. I see tears running down her face, and I pull her close to me. "Baby, don’t cry.
She smiles a sad smile. "They’re happy tears. It’s finally over."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
"When I get married, I’m going to wear a pink wedding dress," Lindy says.
Lucas shakes his head at her. "You can’t. Wedding dresses are white."
"I don’t care. I like pink."
LINDY
"You look so beautiful, sweetheart," Mom says, as she places another lily in my hair.
I run my hands over my stomach. "Are you sure I don’t look silly?"
"You do have quite a belly on you," Tara says with a giggle.
Abbie smacks her on the arm. "Don’t listen to her, you look gorgeous."
"She knows that I am just teasing," Tara says to Abbie, then looks towards me. "You look absolutely stunning."
I smile at her. "You think?"
Tara nods. "I know."
I look at Wanda and notice tears in her eyes. "What’s wrong?"
She wipes her eyes and smiles. "Not a damn thing. In fact, everything is perfect. My son is marrying the woman of his dreams, and I finally get to call you my daughter."
I get up and walk to her, and I wrap my arms around her. "I love your son, but I hope you know that I love you too." I look around the room and smile at all the amazing women in my life. "I love all of you."
Before long, we are all in tears. All of sudden, Tara’s eyes get round as saucers and she rushes to me. "We have to fix your makeup."
She is just touching up my lipstick, when Paul walks in. "Come on, ladies. It’s time to get this show on the road."
Abbie leaves the room first to take her seat in the chapel. Mom and Wanda go next, being led down the aisle by Lucas’ cousins.
Bless the Broken Road
by Rascal Flatts starts to play, and Tara and Daniel walk towards the front of the church.
Paul looks down at me and smiles. "Are you ready for this?"
I smile back at him. "Absolutely."
LUCAS
My heart starts to pound as soon as I see Dad and Lindy. I have never seen her look more beautiful. I swear, she looks so amazing that she takes my breath away. Her auburn hair is curled on top of her head, with white flowers pinned to it. She is not wearing a normal wedding dress. Her dress is pink, but it’s so light that it almost looks white. It stops right above her knees, giving me a great view of her gorgeous legs. It’s loose in the front, but I can still see our child growing within her.
As soon as Dad places her hand in mine, I bend down and give her a kiss. She pulls back and smiles at me. "You are not supposed to do that yet."
I just smile back at her and turn her towards the preacher. Within minutes, Lindy is my wife. I am officially the happiest man in the whole fucking world.
*****
Lindy and I are dancing to
A Little More You
by Little Big Town, when I notice Kelsey walk into the reception. My body immediately tightens, and Lindy looks up at me. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing, baby," I say and pull her as close as her stomach will allow. There is no way in hell I am going to let that bitch ruin our wedding day.
I look around until I see Chris. I motion towards the door, and he looks that way. He looks back at me and nods his head, then walks right to Kelsey. He doesn’t even say a word to her. He just grabs her arm and pulls her outside.
Lindy gives me a tight squeeze. "Are you sure nothing is wrong? You are shaking."
I smile down to her. "No, Lindy Lou. Everything is just right."
She smiles back, then looks around the room. "I am so glad your mom talked me into having the wedding at the church."
"I thought you wanted it the back yard?"
She nods her head. "I did, but it’s too cold for that now. Plus, I think Dad would have liked this better."
"I didn’t know that Sammy even went to church."
She shakes her. "Not that often, but we did go every once in a while. Dad was bi
g on traditions though. He and Mom were married here. He would have liked knowing that I was married here too."
I lean down and place a soft kiss against her lips. "I’m glad you’re happy, but you’ve got to know. I would have married you anywhere."
"I love you, Lucas."
"I love you too, Lindy Lou."
LINDY
I spread out on the bed and smile towards Lucas. "I want a tattoo."
"You want a tattoo," Lucas says, but it sounds more like a question.
I nod my head. "Yeah, I do. I want a tattoo like Pigeon had."
"You want a tattoo of a pigeon." He’s chuckling at that image.
"No, I want a tattoo like she had. She’s a girl from one of my favorite books. When she and Travis got married, she got a tattoo that said Mrs. Maddox. I want one that says Mrs. Beck." Lucas pulls me into his arms. "You want my name on you?"
I place my hands on his naked chest and smile at him. "I want
my
name on me."
He smiles up at me. "It is your name now, isn’t it?"
I nod. "It sure is."
"All right, I’ll take you after the baby is born." He nods. "I want a new one too."
"What do you want?"
He raises up his left hand. "I want to have your name on my hand."
I scrunch up my forehead. "I’ve never seen a hand tattooed."
"You can be
tattooed damn near anywhere," he says.
"Why the hand, though?"
"I’ve heard that a wedding ring goes on your left hand, because there is a vein that runs from your left ring finger straight to your heart. I want you to always be close to my heart, but I can’t put you there." He points to the spot.
"Why not?"
He places his hand above his heart. "The baby’s name will go right here. If we have more kids, I want a chain of their names around my heart."
I bring my lips to his and whisper, "That will be beautiful."
He grabs my ass and gives it a quick squeeze. "I know what else will be beautiful."
I lift my brow. "What is that?"
He flips me to my back and spreads my legs. He gets on his knees between them and smiles. He reaches down and slides a finger inside me. "The sight of your pussy taking me."
I bite my lip and smile up to him. "It is our honeymoon."
"Yes, it is," he says, as he moves his fingers in and out of me. He uses his thumb to run small circles over my clit, stopping ever few seconds to give it a little pinch.
I can feel my orgasm building and use my legs to pull him closer to me. "I need you inside me now."
He pulls me as close as he can get and goes deep, thrusting in and out slowly. "You feel so fucking good wrapped around me."
I moan and try to move my hips to make him speed up, but he keeps the slow pace and smiles down at me. "No, baby. We are going to take this slow. You were so fucking hot when we got to the hotel, you had me coming within minutes. Now, I want to take my time."
I don’t want to go slow; I want it hard and fast. I try to lift my hips again and start to beg. "Please, Lucas."
He growls and speeds up his thrusts. "Fuck, baby! I want it to be good for you, too."
I move with him, moaning with each stroke. "It is good. It’s always good."
I rub my hands across my breast and pinch my nipple. I am so close that I want to scream. "Harder, Lucas."
His thrusts speed up even more as I start to shatter. I am just starting to come down, when I feel him go deep and stay there. I look up and his head is thrown back. His dark brown hair is wet with sweat and all of his muscles are pulled tight. I have never seen anything so sexy in my life. He slowly opens his eyes and looks at me. "Fucking. Beautiful."